Page:Notes by the Way.djvu/327

 NOTES BY THE WAY

��257

��" I find that in the reign of Edward IV. the Mayor for the time is recorded both as ' Mayor ' (tout simple) and as the ' honourable lord the Maire ' (Journal 7, fos. 144 b, 146 b, 174, 181 b, 201 b, 212) ; also as ' my lord the Maire ' (Journal 7, fo. 199 b).

" It is not until 1504 that I find ' my lorde Mayre ' (Repertory 1, fo. 155 b), although there may be possibly an earlier instance (if there be one, it matters little). Monoux, on his election, is recorded as ' electe to be Maire,' and when in office as ' my lord Maire ' (Repertory 2, fos. 196 b, 207 b)."

It is curious in connexion with this to note that until the publication in The London Gazette of the 5th of December, 1905, of a Royal Warrant directing that in future the Prime Minister should have place and precedence after the Archbishop of York, no place was assigned to the former in the tables of precedence.

It seems like going back to the Middle Ages to be reminded by the article in The City Press that the present Fire Brigade has been created since its first issue. In 1857 the fire insurance offices were responsible for the brigade, which they worked under an old Act of Parliament. The brigade was an amalgamation of a number of smaller ones at the close of 1832, when that bravest of men, James Braidwood, was appointed to the control. He was in command when the old Houses of Parliament were reduced to ashes, also at the conflagration which consumed the Royal Exchange, as well as at the fire at the Tower. Many old readers of ' N. & Q.' will recall the acclamations with which the crowds greeted him when he drove up to take personal charge at a fire of unusual magnitude.

I can well remember Braidwood's presence at a large fire next door to The Athenceum office in Wellington Street. The building was used for the manufacture of papier macho". It had large show- rooms, the upper part in front being used as a residence. When Braidwood arrived, he said to my father, " I am afraid this row of houses, extending to York Street, will be down." Had this happened, Mr. Bohn's valuable stock of books would have perished, as his premises ran all along the back. The sky-lights of his storeroom were already broken, and his porters were busy extin- guishing the burning embers as they fell into the room. My father's reply to Braidwood was, " Come with me." He took him to a back room at the top of the house, full of Athenceum stock, and said, " Bring your hose up the stairs, break this window away, and play upon the fire from this point." This was done, and when the fire was got under, Braidwood took my father by the hand and said, " Carrying out your suggestion has saved your house and the whole of this block." When my father had arranged about the hose, he and a clerk quietly set to work to get together complete sets of The Athenceum, and had them so placed as to be ready for immediate removal. At this period (it was during the war in the

��The Fire Brigade.

��James Braidwood.

��Mr. Bohn'a

stock of books

in danger.

��John

Francis's

anxiety as to

the stock of

The Athenceum.

�� �